Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Changchun

For one person, living is cheaper in Changchun: $904 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Changchun
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Changchun Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Changchun

🇨🇳 China

$904

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Changchun

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Lisbon and in Changchun actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $904 in Changchun.

Lisbon $2,202
Changchun $904

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $1,324 in Changchun.

Lisbon $3,274
Changchun $1,324

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $1,743 in Changchun.

Lisbon $4,346
Changchun $1,743

Living in Lisbon is roughly 144% more expensive than in Changchun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Changchun is 33% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.21

$3.02 ¥20.17

464.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.6

$22.15 ¥148

181.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.83

$5.19 ¥34.59

112.33%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.79

$2.40 ¥15.98

30.00%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 €2.02

$0.47 ¥3.14

382.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.31 ¥2.09

461.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.06

$1.21 ¥8.10

182.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.34

$1.91 ¥12.71

95.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.05

$1.90 ¥12.67

-38.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.22 ¥8.14

52.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.38

$1.44 ¥9.63

6.94%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.63

$1.81 ¥12.09

124.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.53

$34.55 ¥230

-62.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.05

$5.71 ¥38.06

38.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.75

$10.36 ¥69.1

70.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.02

$1.72 ¥11.48

31.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.45 ¥9.69

20.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.69

$1.80 ¥12.02

5.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.28

$1.89 ¥12.63

35.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$0.89 ¥5.94

107.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.58 ¥3.88

150.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$1.47 ¥9.77

-47.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.99

$3.78 ¥25.21

77.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.06

$21.06 ¥140

-73.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$0.92 ¥6.11

48.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.89

$1.10 ¥7.35

91.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$0.44 ¥2.91

427.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.65

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.52

$1.24 ¥8.24

218.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.94

$0.31 ¥2.08

238.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.31

$3.02 ¥20.13

467.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.96

$1.28 ¥8.56

71.09%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$33.8K €30.2K

$19.3K ¥129.0K

74.66%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$38.3K €34.2K

$17.8K ¥118.6K

115.19%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$164 €146

$76.7 ¥511

113.66%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$18.48 €16.49

$4.43 ¥29.56

317.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.42

$14.76 ¥98.4

123.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.93

$37.44 ¥250

22.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.67

$4.13 ¥27.52

352.30%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.70

$6.64 ¥44.31

46.84%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$684 €611

$553 ¥3,692

23.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$21.9K ¥145.8K

-19.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.6

$73.7 ¥492

40.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.23

$44.44 ¥296

3.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €89.0

$60.2 ¥401

65.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$69.7 ¥465

78.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,418

$216 ¥1,443

634.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,043

$246 ¥1,644

374.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,544

$576 ¥3,839

395.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,779

$308 ¥2,052

547.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,955

$1,668 ¥11.1K

367.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,943

$1,006 ¥6,711

339.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,428

$961 ¥6,408

66.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.37

-11.90%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Changchun: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Changchun

$246 27.3% 78.9% $923

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Changchun

$313 * 34.6% 14.6% $40

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Changchun

$82 9% 67.1% $166

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Changchun

$96 10.6% 55.5% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Changchun

$112 12.4% 33.7% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Changchun

$51 5.6% 22.4% $15

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Changchun

$4.5 * 0.5% 92.8% $58

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $216 in Changchun. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 67% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $22.00 in Changchun. Groceries flip the comparison at $273 vs $313, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇳 Changchun

🕒 Local time

15:44 3:44 PM

23:44 11:44 PM

8 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

9,066,906

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Lisbon Changchun 9,760 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lisbon vs Changchun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Changchun is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. The 144% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 67% higher in Lisbon, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $216 in Changchun. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $553 in Changchun. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Changchun – a meal for two runs $22.00 versus $62.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $904 in Changchun versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Changchun but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Changchun the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Changchun is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Lisbon, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Changchun are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Changchun gentler on the wallet – expenses run 144% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.